OFFSHORE TROLLING & TEASERS
Cedar Plug
A simple wooden plug with a lead nose that wobbles just under the surface; an old, cheap, and very effective tuna lure, especially for blackfin.
How to fish it
- 1
Run the leader through the hole in the plug and tie or crimp on a single hook so the plug slides down and sits right on the hook eye.
- 2
Put it well back behind the boat, often far back in the center, so it runs in clean water away from the prop wash.
- 3
Troll around 6-8 knots near birds, busting fish, FADs and drop-off edges.
- 4
When one tuna hits, keep moving slowly for a moment; blackfin travel in schools and a second rod often goes off.
BigJoe Tips
- Keep a few plugs that have been chewed up; old, scratched cedar often outfishes brand-new ones.
- If you see tuna jumping but get no bites, drop back to a smaller plug and slow down a little.
- A cedar plug is a great teaching lure; it is hard to rig wrong and rarely tangles.
Mistakes to avoid
- Running it too close to the boat in the white water.
- Driving straight through the middle of a tuna school and putting it down.
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